


I Wish You Were Mine

by moonlight_river



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Park Chanyeol, M/M, Possessive Behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 09:11:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20374303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlight_river/pseuds/moonlight_river
Summary: Ever since he set eyes on Chanyeol, Yixing has wanted him and only him.(Prequel to "Be Mine")





	I Wish You Were Mine

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prequel to another one of my fics, "Be Mine". But it can also be read as a stand alone.
> 
> For pearl_red, who requested a prequel to "Be Mine".

Yixing enters the university cafeteria, together with Yifan and Lu Han. People part for them. It’s not that Yixing wants to boast, but three alphas together? It’s inevitable. Their phenomes fill the air, drawing all eyes on them.

Yifan revels in it, though he looks outwardly indifferent. Yifan’s father left him when he was a mere babe in arms. It has always been just him and his mother, and since he was a kid, Yifan had always been conscious of projecting an alpha-male image in order to protect his mother. Of course, when he was child, few people took him seriously. But now, Yifan has definitely grown into his own. Everyone is looking at Yifan with the admiration he had craved as a kid, and Yifan loves it.

Lu Han on the hand, carries himself with an easy casualness. He has had a blessed life, an alpha born into a rich family. Lu Han is completely indifferent to the attention because he’s so used to it. He’s used to being the centre of the universe, used to getting whatever he wants whenever he wants without a second thought.

Unlike his two best friends, Yixing is average. He hadn’t had a difficult childhood like Yifan, but neither has he had a pampered childhood like Lu Han either. He grew up in a middle-income family. While he had never starved, he never had any luxury either. He’s just average, and because of this, Yixing reminds himself to be humble always. To stay grounded despite being an alpha. His mother has always told him that as an alpha, he should treat betas and omegas right, and Yixing tries his best to do just that.

Nevertheless, being friends with alphas as outstanding and high profile as Yifan and Lu Han means that Yixing is part of the cool clique. All eyes are on them as they walk in, though Yixing only has eyes for one. Yixing spots him almost immediately, mainly because he’s so loud as he talks and laughs with his best friend.

Yixing could look at him all day. He’s always so bright and happy, and Yixing can’t help but want to own him. Own that pure piece of happiness, that bright smile, that loud laugh, those large sparkly eyes, and those big cute ears that stick out. Yixing wants to own it all.

He hasn’t spotted Yixing yet. But just then, his omega friend whispers something to him. He turns to look, and his eyes connects with Yixing’s.

Their sudden eye contact causes him to panic. He accidentally knocks his water bottle over. Alarmed, he tries to catch it. All flailing arms, he manages to catch it in mid-air somewhere between the table and floor, something that would have been very impressive, except that in the process, he had managed to overturn his plate of creamy carbonara. The plastic plate clatters loudly on the floor. Strings of spaghetti and cream fly everywhere.

His face is bright red. He’s burning, right from the tips of his ears to his cheeks.

Oh god. He’s so cute!

Lu Han kicks him in the shins. Hard. Yixing yelps, glaring at his so-called best friend.

“This is your big chance,” Lu Han says, rolling his eyes. “Stop wasting it. Sitting here, staring and drooling, is not going to get you anywhere. Get your ass over there. Go help him clean everything up.”

Lu Han gestures at some cleaning tools the janitor had left in a corner.

Oh.

Wow, Lu Han was really good at this.

Chanyeol is flailing around. He’s completely at a loss, torn between cleaning the spaghetti off his t-shirt or cleaning up the mess of spaghetti on the floor. His omega best friend is next to him now. Armed with a piece of tissue, he’s trying to wipe Chanyeol’s face clean of carbonara sauce.

“I’ll clean this up,” Yixing steps in, smiling at him.

This makes him blush even harder.

“N-no, d-don’t… I’ll, I’ll do it… …”

“It’s all right. I’ll handle this. It’s not a problem.”

Yixing uses a cloth to sweep up all the fallen spaghetti in a hand-held dustpan, taking care to wipe the floor clean of any remnants of sauce. He throws the spaghetti into the trash and picks up the fallen plate to put onto the tray-return counter.

By this time, the Chanyeol’s omega friend has managed to wipe any stray strands of spaghetti and blobs of cream off Chanyeol.

“Thanks Lay hyung. You are so gentlemanly! It’s so sweet of you to come over to help!” the omega friend chirps at Yixing.

Yixing looks over at Chanyeol. He had been hoping to make some eye contact with Chanyeol, to have some chance to make conversation with him, but he’s looking resolutely at the floor, absolutely mortified.

“Oh, it was no trouble at all.”

Chanyeol’s omega best friend leads him away, saying something about wanting to clean Chanyeol up at the sink. That leaves Yixing with nothing to do but walk back to his table.

Both Yifan and Lu Han are smirking openly at him.

“Shut up.” Yixing says, though neither of them had said anything. He can feel his own face heating up.

“What are you doing here?” Lu Han says, with the long-suffering air of having to explain what is 1+1 to a three-year old. “Shouldn’t you be going to queue up for carbonara right now?”

“Huh?”

“He just spilled his lunch on the floor, right? He has nothing to eat now. Shouldn’t you be going to buy it for him? His order was carbonara, right? Go get it right now, so that by the time he returns to his table, he’ll have a nice fresh plate waiting for him.”

Oh!

Yixing immediately springs into action, grabbing his wallet. 

“Remember to offer him your jacket later. He’ll want to have something to cover the stains on his t-shirt,” Lu Han instructs as Yixing walks past him.

Wow, Lu Han was really the expert. No wonder he has a different omega hanging off his arm every week.

Yixing glances over at Chanyeol. He’s standing obediently next to the sink, while his omega best friend is fussing over him, washing his face, and the portion of his t-shirt that’s currently stained with cream.

Hurry! Yixing silently wills the person in front of him who’s mulling over her order. She hems and haws, apologising to Yixing for the long wait while batting her eyelashes at him, and subtly-not-subtly leaning over in order to show Yixing a good eyeful of her boobs. Yixing smiles politely, careful to keep himself distant. It’s a relief when she finally orders. It’s another anxious wait while the cook is whipping up the order, but Yixing makes it just in time to slide the plate of carbonara in front of Chanyeol almost immediately after he has sat back down at his table with his friend.

“Thank you, Lay hyung! You shouldn’t have, but it so sweet of you!” gushes his omega friend, and Yixing smiles at him.

“Th-thank you.” Chanyeol eventually manages to stutter out.

He’s so shy right now, his ears are flaming red. Yixing wants to pick him up and squish him.

“Would you like to wear my jacket for today?”

Yixing takes off his jacket, despite noticing that his omega friend had done a pretty good job of washing away all the stains out of the t-shirt. Chanyeol’s t-shirt would be good as new once it dries, but Yixing figures he might as well heed Lu Han’s advice. It’s served him well so far after all. He drapes it over Chanyeol’s shoulders, and quickly walks back to his table where Lu Han and Yifan are wearing twin smirks.

“Not too bad,” Lu Han praises. “Rather smooth for a newbie.”

They had bought themselves burgers in the meantime, and Yifan passes Yixing one. As Yixing bites into the burger, he notices that Chanyeol is slipping himself properly into Yixing’s jacket, sliding his arms into the sleeves and zipping it up all the way. A warmth that has nothing to do with food spreads all over Yixing’s gut as he takes in the sight of Chanyeol wearing his clothes. It's slightly too small for him, unlike the big loose clothes Chanyeol likes to wear. It hugs him tightly, the way Yixing himself would like to hug Chanyeol, if given the chance.

_Mine!_ A voice inside Yixing’s head screams. _Mine!_

Quiet, Yixing gently tells the voice, as he watches Chanyeol start to eat the carbonara Yixing bought for him. Not yet. But soon. Soon.

Chanyeol and his friend are done with the lunch when Lu Han kicks him in the shin again.

“Go over there. Offer to walk him to his next class. Say it’s on your way to your next lecture.”

“But it’s isn’t. He’s a music major, so his class is going to be in the Arts block. That’s all the way across campus. My next lecture is right in this building… ...”

“So? That doesn’t matter! Just say that it’s along the way, period. Just make something up if he questions you,” Lu Han instructs.

Yixing nods along, seeing the logic in it.

“See the big guitar case he’s carrying?” Lu Han continues. “Offer to carry it for him. And also, he’s going to ask you how he’s going to return your jacket to you. Use this chance to get his number, got it?”

Yixing nods. At this point, if Lu Han asked him to jump into the Han River, Yixing would probably do it.

Lu Han kicks Yifan in the shin too.

“What?” says Yifan, his mouth full of burger.

“You’re taking a music elective class to earn extra credits this term, right? Isn’t Jongdae in the same tutorial as you? Go talk to him right now. Say that you don’t understand something about your assignment.”

“We don’t have any assignments yet,” says Yifan indifferently, taking another bite of his burger.

Lu Han whacks him on the back of his head, causing Yifan to almost to spit out his mouthful of burger.

“Then make something else up. Just keep him occupied for a while. How else is Yixing going to get Chanyeol alone?”

“All right, all right,” Yifan grumbles, but he gets up anyway. That’s the way he is. He acts aloof on the surface, but deep down inside, Yixing knows that he cares.

Yifan and Yixing approach Chanyeol’s and Jongdae’s table together. Yifan engages Jongdae in conversation as planned, and Yixing takes this opportunity to monopolise Chanyeol’s attention.

“Where are you going after this?” Yixing smiles at Chanyeol, drinking in the sight of the beautiful beta in front of him.

“I’m… I’m just going for my Classical Guitar tutorial,” Chanyeol barely mumbles.

Yixing has seen him when he’s around his friends. He’s usually loud, boisterous. Funny. Cheerful. But in front of Yixing, he’s always a shy, blushing mess. It’s beyond cute.

“I’m going in that direction too,” Yixing lies. “We can walk together.”

Chanyeol is reaching for his guitar case, but Yixing quickly picks it up. With his guitar held hostage in Yixing’s hands, Chanyeol has no choice but to allow Yixing to walk him to class. Along the way, Yixing manages to tease some conversation out of Chanyeol. Yixing can’t help but envy Chanyeol a little. Yixing is interested in music too. If he had been born a beta or an omega, Yixing would have probably pursued it as a major. But he’s an alpha and alphas must be able to provide for their families, something Yixing is a lot more confident doing with an accountancy degree.

They are almost at Chanyeol’s tutorial block when the beta broaches the question, just Lu Han had predicted.

“How do I return your jacket to you?”

Lu Han was a genius.

“Maybe you could give me your number?” Yixing tries to keep his voice steady.

“Oh. Sure.”

Chanyeol starts to rattle off the number, and Yixing tries his best to keep his hands steady as he keys it in.

Yixing waits till they are right outside Chanyeol’s classroom door before he reluctantly returns the beta’s guitar to him. Chanyeol accepts it shyly. As he opens the classroom door, it takes all of Yixing’s willpower not to pull Chanyeol back so that he could press the beta against the wall and kiss the daylights out of him.

Now that he has Chanyeol’s number, Yixing makes full use of it to text him every day. He always initiates a conversation, always replies Chanyeol when Chanyeol’s texts something, always tries to keep the conversation going, and more often than not, Yixing is the last one to leave a message at the end of a conversation.

“He wants to return me my jacket,” Yixing looks up from his handphone to tell Yifan, who is also his roommate. “He says he’s washed it.”

“So?” Yifan shrugs, unconcerned. “Take it back then.”

Yifan is no help. Yixing consults Lu Han, who drops by their room later. Lu Han has his own single room in their campus dorms. Lu Han can afford it. But he drops by Yifan’s and Yixing’s room often.

“Arrange to meet at a café to take it back,” Lu Han instructs. “That way, you can offer to buy him a coffee. Then after that, he’s obliged to sit with you while both of you finish your coffees, and just like that, the two of you would have had your first date.”

Yifan scoffs, rolling his eyes. Yifan never chases anybody. Omegas throw themselves at him, and Yifan is ridiculously picky, only choosing the very best. Lu Han on the other hand, is the campus Casanova. While Lu Han has just as many omegas throwing themselves at him, Lu Han is also a big flirt, smooth and charming. He never has any trouble getting whoever he wants, so Yixing listens with rapt attention.

Lu Han shoves his handphone under Yixing’s nose. It’s open at the webpage of the local cinema.

“These are the movies that are playing in the cinema right now. During the coffee date, casually mention them to him. Whatever movie he shows interest in, say that you’ve also been wanting to watch it, then offer to treat him to that movie. That way, before your first date has even ended, you would have gotten your second date in the bag!”

Yixing eagerly grabs the handphone, poring through all the movie listed on the page.

“You’re amazing,” Yixing tells Lu Han sincerely.

“You better make me the best man at your wedding.” Lu Han grins smugly.

“Hey! I’m his best friend! I should be best man.” Yifan looks up from his video game, all indignant.

Lu Han scoffs at this.

“I’m his best friend too! Besides, you’ve put in zero effort in this. Zero.”

The two of them continue squabbling over who has best man rights as Yixing carefully reads through the synopsis of each movie. Hmmm, there’s is a horror movie. For a moment, Yixing happily entertains the mental image of a terrified Chanyeol clinging onto him during all the scary parts. Oh wait, there’s also a musical, featuring the life of a famous western musician. As a music major, perhaps Chanyeol would be interested in this?

On the actual day of the meet up, Yixing is so worried about being late, he ends up reaching the café half an hour early. Yixing chooses an empty table in a corner. He looks around the café, taking in the décor. It’s designed tastefully in wooden furnishings. It’s a pretty café, recommended by Lu Han.

“It has instagram-worthy desserts,” Lu Han had said. “Omegas love this sort of thing.”

“But he’s a beta.”

“I’m sure it’s more or less the same,” Lu Han had shrugged, indifferent. He has never dated betas before, only omegas.

Chanyeol appears ten minutes after their appointed time to meet, not that Yixing minds. What Yixing minds though, is the plus one that Chanyeol has brought along with him.

“This is Jongdae’s favourite café,” Chanyeol explains, as he hands Yixing a paper bag containing Yixing’s jacket over the table. “So I asked him along. You don’t mind, do you, Lay hyung?”

“Of course not.” Yixing plasters a smile on his face.

Chanyeol lets Jongdae sit right across from Yixing, while he himself sits next to Jongdae. Yixing buys them all drinks. As they sip on their coffees, Yixing brings up the subject of movies. It turns out both Chanyeol and Jongdae have been dying to watch the musical movie.

“I love him!” Jongdae gushes, referring to the musician the movie is about.

“Me too!” Chanyeol agrees.

They turn to each other, each excitedly rattling off something they like about the musician, and squealing together to validate each other’s points of view. It’s like they’ve momentarily forgotten that Yixing was there. It is easy to see why they’re best friends. They both have the same bright, happy energy. Yixing soaks in the happy expression on Chanyeol’s face. Yixing could look at it all day long.

“I like him too,” Yixing lies, and is rewarded when Chanyeol beams brightly at him. “How about we watch the movie together?”

The three of them all agree on a date and time, and after that, both Yixing and Chanyeol walk Jongdae to the omega dorms.

“I can send you back to the beta dorm too,” Yixing offers, happy to have time alone with Chanyeol at last.

“Oh no, it’s all right! That’ll be super out of the way for you,” Chanyeol says cheerfully. “Oh, there’s the shuttle bus. Bye!”

Yixing watches as Chanyeol puts his long limbs to good use to run towards the bus stop. Afterwards, he tells Lu Han and Yifan how the coffee date went.

“You should have sent him back, no matter what,” Yifan says.

Shit. If even Yifan has something to say, Yixing must have really screwed up.

“But he said he didn’t want me to!” Yixing protests.

“You can’t just go along what he says on the surface,” explains Lu Han. “Sometimes they say one thing, but they hope in their heart that you would do the opposite.”

That’s easy for Lu Han to say, Yixing thinks. Lu Han doesn’t have to stand in front of Chanyeol and face his bright happiness. How can Yixing say no to anything that Chanyeol says?

“He brought his omega friend along,” Yixing says. “The little guy he always hangs out with. Jongdae.”

Lu Han and Yifan exchange a look.

“That’s not good,” Lu Han says, confirming Yixing’s own fears. “You’ve been friend-zoned.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. His omega best friend likes you, so he’s abiding by the omega friend code.”

“Omega friend code?”

“It’s like how us alphas have a bro code. For example, if Yifan or I had an omega, would you fuck him or her?”

“No, of course not!”

“It’s the same with omegas. They have a friend code too. Since his friend likes you, he’s going to keep himself off limits to you.”

“But he’s a beta!”

“I’m sure it’s the same,” Lu Han shrugs.

“What do I do now?” asks Yixing miserably.

Lu Han turns to Yifan.

“Scissors, paper, stone?”

“What?” Yifan grumbles.

“Loser seduces Jongdae.”

“What!”

“Just long enough until Yixing manages to obtain Chanyeol. After that, we can break up with him.”

Yifan continues to grumble.

“Hey, have you seen Jondgae? He has an amazing ass. He’s going to be a good fuck. Don’t pretend like this is going to be so hard on you,” Lu Han scolds. “Hurry up. Scissors… paper… stone!”

Lu Han throws rock while Yifan throws scissors. Yifan grumbles a bit more, just on principle, but Yixing knows that he’s going to try doing it anyway. Yifan is a good friend.

“When is your movie date?” asks Lu Han.

“This Saturday night.”

“After your music elective class, find some excuse to speak to Jongdae,” Lu Han tells Yifan. “Then ask him out this Saturday night.”

Lu Han takes out a credit card. He has many, all paid for by his parents. He slides one to Yifan.

“Take him to a fancy restaurant. He’ll find it hard to say no to that.”

“I’ll pay you back next time,” Yixing promises Lu Han.

“Nah. What’s this little bit of money between friends?”

Yifan returns the credit card to Lu Han the very next day though.

“He turned me down. He must really like you, Yixing.”

Yixing’s heart sinks. He tries to comfort himself that at the very least, he would get to see Chanyeol this Saturday, even if they are going to have a third wheel tagging along.

“You’re useless,” Lu Han scoffs at Yifan. “Looks like it still has got to be me.”

Yixing feels a little better after that. He has never known of anyone who managed to withstand Lu Han’s charms. Surely Jongdae will fall for him?

The next day, Yixing goes to the campus running track for his usual morning jog. He is exiting from the alpha changing room when the scent of an omega hits him. It’s enticing, the scent of an omega almost in heat.

“Lay hyung?”

The voice is soft.

Yixing turns around.

The owner of the voice is tall, taller than Yixing. Despite his height, he has a soft voice. Unlike Chanyeol, who is also taller than Yixing, this omega is slender and willowy. While Chanyeol is bright and happy, this omega has a beautiful, yet cold look. But nonetheless, it is a very pretty look.

“Do I know you?” Yixing asks. “Have we met?”

“Yes,” the omega says softly. He looks a little embarrassed, making him look slightly more approachable despite his ice-prince façade. “We met at the frat party last week. I know Lu Han hyung, and he introduced us?”

Well, if they met at a frat party, Yixing was probably drunk. And besides, Lu Han knew everyone. How was Yixing supposed to remember every single one of Lu Han’s friends?

“Later that night, an alpha tried to force himself on me, and you helped me?”

Oh. That Yixing remembers. Yixing looks at the omega again. In the darkness of the back alley, he hadn’t really seen the omega’s face. He just remembers pulling the drunk alpha off the struggling omega. After punching the alpha across the jaw, he had brought the shivering and crying omega back to the frat house where the party was still in full swing. The omega found some of his friends, who had been frantically looking for him, and Yixing had left the omega with them before making his own way home.

Now, in the light of day, the omega’s face is on full display, and holy shit, no wonder that alpha wanted a piece of him.

“I made you this.” The omega passes Yixing a cupcake, wrapped up prettily in a nice box. “To say thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” says Yixing, smiling politely. “I’m glad that you got away all right, …. …?”

Yixing’s voice trails off as he realises he doesn’t actually know the omega’s name.

“Sehun,” the omega says. “My name is Sehun.”

“Sehun.” Yixing tries the name on his tongue. It’s a nice name. A pretty name for a pretty omega.

Yixing politely accepts the cupcake. Then, he turns to leave.

“Lay hyung!”

Yixing turns back.

“Yes?”

“My heat is coming up,” he says delicately, a pretty blush colouring his cheeks. “Lay hyung, could you… … would you… … help me with my heat?”

Damn, but he does look pretty.

If Yixing’s heart was not already filled to the brim with a certain bright and happy beta, Yixing might have said yes.

“I can’t.” Yixing wishes desperately that he could contact Lu Han now to ask for advice on how to turn omegas down gently. But Lu Han isn’t here and Yixing is on his own, so Yixing settles for straight-forward and brutal honesty, the only way he knows. “I’m sorry.”

Sehun looks absolutely mortified. He looks like he’s about to cry, and Yixing feels bad.

“Sure. I understand. I’m sorry to have troubled you by asking.” Sehun manages before he practically flees from Yixing.

Yixing walks away too, his steps heavy. He knows that it wasn’t nice to turn down an omega in need, but Yixing can’t afford to risk it with Chanyeol. Chanyeol is not someone that Yixing can afford to lose.

Yixing finds himself walking towards the Arts block. He has more or less figured out Chanyeol’s schedule. Chanyeol should be having a free period right now. Perhaps he would be able to run into Chanyeol somewhere? Perhaps he could even ask Chanyeol if they could have breakfast together.

Yixing walks around the Arts library. No Chanyeol, unfortunately. He weaves he ways through the canteen in the Arts block, no Chanyeol either.

Yixing is about to give up, but he decides to take a walk through the little patch of greenery near the Arts block. There’s a little garden swing there, under a tree, next to the path and some flower bushes. What are the odds of finding Chanyeol there?

Yixing rounds the bend.

Chanyeol is there.

Seated in the middle of the garden swing.

Only he’s not alone.

And it’s not Jongdae he’s with either.

He seated with his arms wrapped protectively around someone. He is cradling that person in his arms, whispering comfortingly into his ear.

With a jolt, Yixing realises who that person is.

Sehun.

Sehun is buried in Chanyeol’s arms, having skin to skin contact with Chanyeol in ways Yixing can only dream of. Yixing has never so much as held Chanyeol’s hand. And here the two of them were, their bodies practically moulded together, right in front of Yixing’s eyes.

Chanyeol hasn’t even noticed Yixing. It’s like Chanyeol’s entire universe consists only of Sehun, and Chanyeol has no energy to notice anything else.

It’s Sehun who notices Yixing staring. He lifts his face out of Chanyeol’s protective embrace for long enough that he has eye contact with Yixing. His eyes are red and watery. It’s evident he has been crying. He looks mortified to see Yixing, and he burrows himself back into Chanyeol’s embrace.

Chanyeol looks up to see what had upset Sehun, and he sees Yixing standing there.

“Lay hyung,” he greets.

Yixing nods stiffly back.

“Did you want to sit on the swing?” Chanyeol asks. “Here. You can sit. Sehunnie and I were just going to get some breakfast.”

Chanyeol stands up, pulling Sehun up with him. Sehun mumbles into Chanyeol’s shoulder. Something about not being hungry.

“Nonsense,” Chanyeol scolds as he walks past Yixing, his arm wrapped around Sehun’s shoulder, his attention all on Sehun and only Sehun. “Your heat is coming. You need to eat to keep your energy up. Come, I’ll buy you breakfast.”

They disappear around the bend, leaving a shocked Yixing standing in the middle of the path. Yixing has never felt more like punching something.

When Yixing slumps back into his room later that night after a long day of lessons, more bad news awaits him.

Lu Han is seated on his bed, looking sheepish. Yifan, on the other hand, is looking smug.

“He tried to ask Jongdae out today, but he failed too.” Yifan gloats. “Guess I’m not the only useless one, huh?”

“I’m sorry,” Lu Han says to Yixing. “He must be really into you.”

“It’s all right. Thank you for trying.”

Yixing lets out a sigh. First Jongdae, now Sehun. Why were all these unnecessary people so fixated on him? And meanwhile, Chanyeol just stubbornly stays out of reach. It’s just so unfair.

On Saturday, Yixing reaches the cinema half an hour early, just like he had for the café date. He buys the tickets, and decides to wait for Chanyeol and Jongdae to arrive to see if they would like to any snacks or drinks.

The appointed time to meet comes and goes. Yixing restraints himself from texting Chanyeol. He doesn’t want to come across as impatient.

15 minutes after the appointed time, Jongdae turns up.

“Sorry, I’m late!” he says. “Have you been waiting long?”

“It’s all right,” Yixing smiles politely. “Where’s Chanyeol?”

“Oh, Chanyeol can’t come!”

“What? Why?”

“Sehun’s heat started earlier than expected. Sehun thought it would be next week, but it suddenly started today. That’s why I was late. Chanyeol and I were actually already on the bus on our way here, but then he got a call from Sehun, so we both got down the bus to find a cab for Chanyeol. Luckily, we managed to find one almost immediately! But then, I had to wait for the next bus, so that’s why I was late.”

Yixing’s head is reeling as he tries to process this new information.

“But… … what does Sehun’s heat got to do with Chanyeol?”

Yixing already has a fairly good idea, but he just has to ask. To make sure.

“Chanyeol’s helping Sehun out for his heat! It’s so nice of Chanyeol to offer to help, don’t you think?”

Yixing’s heart sinks to the bottom of his shoes. No, no, no. This can’t be.

“How do Chanyeol and Sehun know each other?”

“Sehun’s a dance major. Our classes are all in the same building, so we see each other around a lot.”

Jongdae leads the way into the cinema, and Yixing follows him. Jongdae wants popcorn, so Yixing buys it for him.

“The movie was awesome! Wasn’t it?” Jongdae says happily as they step out of the cinema.

For the life of him, Yixing can’t recall what happened in the movie.

“Yes, it was.” Yixing gives Jongdae a smile.

Yixing sends Jongdae back to the omega dorms. Jongdae gives him a bright smile, before disappearing into the main entrance. The main door is heavy, made of solid wood, and the automatic lock clicks shut behind Jongdae once he disappears behind it. As an alpha, Yixing can’t go in there. The only times alphas are allowed in would be when they are helping a particular omega with his or her heat. Unlike the beta or alpha dorms which have a mixture of single and double rooms depending on what you can afford to pay, the omega dorms consist solely of single rooms, in order to provide omegas with privacy for their heats.

Yixing stares up the building. It’s tall, intimidating. Lights spill out into the night from the windows of the individual rooms.

One of those rooms belong to Sehun.

And in that same room right now, Chanyeol is there, fucking Sehun.

An uncomfortable feeling floods Yixing’s gut.

_But he’s mine! _

Only that he really isn’t. He has the right to fuck any omega he wants, and there is nothing Yixing can do about it.

Yixing forces himself to turn around. To walk away.

Yixing’s father’s voice suddenly rings in his head, unbidden.

_Sometimes, even as an alpha, you have to learn how to let go._

Yixing’s father is an alpha too. Yixing wonders if things like this was what his father meant. The world always says that alphas get whatever they want. But that isn’t true at all, Yixing realises.

Tears stain Yixing’s face.

He quickly wipes them away.

A quick glance around tells Yixing that the street is empty except for him.

Good. No one has seen him cry.

Stop being dramatic, Yixing tells himself. It’s just one heat. One. It will be over in a few days.

After that, Yixing can try again.

He’ll need to try harder, to make his feelings more obvious to Chanyeol. Lu Han can help him with that.

He’ll make it clear to Jongdae that he’s not interested, and he’ll make sure that on future dates, it’s going to be just him and Chanyeol.

Only that, he never gets a chance.

Yixing clearly remembers seeing Chanyeol and Sehun for the first time since they emerged out from the omega dorms after Sehun’s heat.

They were holding hands.

Yixing wants to get hold of Chanyeol alone to speak to him, only that he can’t.

In the days that follow, Chanyeol and Sehun go everywhere together, as if joined by the hip.

Yixing is used to Chanyeol and Jongdae being a double act, but now, the double act has become a triple one. Wherever Chanyeol and Jongdae are, Sehun seems to be there too. Sehun sits with Chanyeol and Jongdae now, at the same table when they eat lunch.

Chanyeol constantly fusses over Sehun. Hovers over him, even. It’s both protective and gentle. When they eat lunch together, Sehun never has to do anything. He just has to sit there as Chanyeol buys his food for him. The instant Sehun is done eating, Chanyeol is already offering him a piece of tissue to wipe his hands and mouth, and then he helps Sehun return his tray. He carries Sehun’s bag for him. He walks Sehun to his classes.

He treats Sehun as if he were a prince.

It’s how Yixing would have treated Chanyeol, if only he had the chance.

Every time he sees the two of them together, it’s like someone has stuck a cold knife into his gut and is twisting it around.

And to make matters worse, Sehun is still mortified every time he runs into Yixing around campus. During times like this, he would burrow himself into Chanyeol. Chanyeol then goes into full protective mode, hugging Sehun tightly as he allows Sehun to bury himself into his neck, while he caresses Sehun’s hair and whispers sweet nothings into Sehun’s ear.

It hurts.

It fucking hurts.

Both Yifan and Lu Han both notice, of course. Yixing tries his best to present a strong front to the world, but it’s inevitable that his two best friends see through his mask. Yifan never says anything, but he’s always there for Yixing, providing silent support. Lu Han, on the other hand, seems to think the solution to this would be to introduce as many omegas as he possibly can to Yixing.

Yixing is currently at a frat party. Yifan is around somewhere, and so is Lu Han. Lu Han has been sending a steady stream of omegas to the couch that Yixing has been lounging on. One such omega has now plastered herself next to Yixing’s side. Yixing thinks her name is Irene. Yixing’s not touching her, focusing instead on downing beer after beer. But at the same time, he’s not disallowing her from touching him either.

“Lay hyung,” she purrs into his ear, all sugar and spice. “My heat is coming up. Would you help me?”

Yixing glances at her. Her face is beautiful. Sweet and innocent. But at the same time, she has the body of the devil. Milky white skin, perky boobs, small waist, round plump ass.

“Sure.” Yixing takes another swig of beer. “I would be happy to help.”

Yixing sees her eyes widen. The wave of triumph that washes over her. She has done something no other omega before her has ever managed to do. She has gotten Zhang Yixing, the elusive alpha, to help her with her heat.

Irene is the first of a string of many omegas that Yixing helps. They constantly approach him, in the hallways, after class, after lectures, at the cafeteria, in the library, during frat parties. They ask, and Yixing obliges.

The only exception though, is Jongdae. He has asked a few times, but Yixing turns him down every time. Yifan and Lu Han roll their eyes at Yixing every time he does so.

“C’mon, he is such a good fuck. I would totally tap that ass,” they would say.

But Yixing refuses to. And he has no other reason to, except for Chanyeol.

Yixing is starkly aware that once he starts something with Jongdae, it would truly be over between him and Chanyeol. There is no bigger friend-zone that your best friend’s boyfriend, or ex. Of course Yixing has no intentions of ever becoming Jongdae’s boyfriend, let alone ex. But he doesn’t want to do anything that might remotely give Jongdae any hope. Yixing is not even sure why he even bothers, especially whenever he sees Chanyeol and Sehun acting lovey-dovey all over campus.

And so, things go on like for a whole three years.

Until, one day, Yixing sees Chanyeol alone. All by himself. No Sehun or Jongdae in sight.

He’s sitting on the same garden swing, scuffing his shoes in the dirt.

His shoulders are hunched.

His neck is bent, as he seems to study the dirt at his feet with great interest.

Yixing isn’t used to seeing Chanyeol like this. Chanyeol somehow always looks so happy, like the world’s joy was contained within him, like he was the source of happiness for the universe, and happiness somehow seemed to just bubble out of him and infect whoever was in his vicinity.

But now, he sits alone, hunched over on the swing, like all the light had been sucked out of him.

He hasn’t noticed Yixing, but Yixing approaches him anyway. He knows it’s probably none of his business, but walking past Chanyeol when he looks so sad seems wrong to Yixing somehow.

Yixing sits himself down on the swing, next to Chanyeol.

“Hey.”

Chanyeol looks up, surprised. His eyes are teary, and the sight of it breaks Yixing’s heart. Yixing puts an arm around Chanyeol.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just… …” Chanyeol tries to rub away his tears, but his face falls, and more tears just come.

Yixing quickly puts his arm around Chanyeol. He draws Chanyeol close to him, wanting nothing more than to protect Chanyeol from the world.

“What is it?” Yixing asks gently. “Maybe it’s something I can help you with?”

“No,” Chanyeol swallows, looking absolutely miserable. “It’s just that… Sehun and I… we broke up.”

Oh.

Something twists inside Yixing.

“Why?”

“He moved to London. His whole family is migrating there, and he’s going with them.”

“I see.”

“I tried applying to the same university in London as Sehunnie, but I couldn’t get in.”

“You tried to apply for a university in London?”

Yixing is horrified, but Chanyeol doesn’t notice this, too caught up in his own misery.

“I didn’t pass my TOEFL, so the university refused to take me in, even though my grades have always been good, even though my professor wrote a recommendation letter.”

Yixing is secretly inwardly very, very relieved. He had come so close to losing Chanyeol to a foreign country, and he hadn’t even known it.

“It isn’t easy to pass the TOEFL. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“Even if I did, I don’t have the money anyway. A year of college in London will cost 20 million won. My family can’t afford it.”

“How many of our families can? This is not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”

“He wanted to continue long-distance. But… … it won’t be fair to him, right?”

Chanyeol looks to Yixing for an opinion.

“Erm, yes, I suppose so.”

Yixing doesn’t know what to say. All he knows is that he wants Chanyeol to feel better, so he just settles for agreeing with whatever Chanyeol says.

“If he’s still together with me long distance, what is he going to do when his heats come? He’ll be suffering through them by himself. It’s better for him if I let him go, right?”

“Yes,” Yixing affirms, more firmly this time. “That will be for the best.”

Chanyeol seems to deflate even more.

“This way, Sehunnie will be able to find an alpha for himself. All these years, I haven’t been fair to him. A beautiful omega like Sehunnie should find a strong alpha for himself, not some beta like me.”

“No, don’t say that.” Yixing turns Chanyeol’s face towards him, forcing Chanyeol to look him in the eyes. “You’re an amazing person. Sehun was lucky to have been with you for the past three years.”

Chanyeol’s eyes are still teary, but he does seem to look slightly comforted.

“Yeah?” Chanyeol sniffs. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Yixing states firmly, and he’s rewarded when Chanyeol smiles through his tears at him.

Yixing reaches out, gently brushing away Chanyeol’s tears. Chanyeol allows it for a moment, before he suddenly seems to realise how intimate the both of them are. He abruptly moves away, sliding away from Yixing. But they’re sitting on a swing, not a bench, and Chanyeol’s sudden abrupt movement means the swing gets tilted, and before Yixing can stop it, Chanyeol has fallen off the swing and is sitting on his bum in the dirt. Yixing quickly helps Chanyeol to his feet.

The beta is blushing furiously. It’s adorable.

“Where’s Jongdae?” asks Yixing.

“He’s with Kyungsoo. They’re going out on a date tonight.”

Kyungsoo is an alpha. Since he’s a year younger, he entered college a year behind them. But since the very first day he had set eyes on Jongdae during his freshman orientation, he had pursued Jongdae with a dogged determination. Yixing can identify with that. He feels the same for Chanyeol after all. Jongade initially resisted, apparently still holding out for Yixing, but Kyungsoo eventually managed to win Jongdae over. They’ve been together for more than a year now.

“Does that mean you have no dinner plans tonight? Come, let me buy you dinner.”

The beta immediately protests. “I’m not hungry. Thanks, but it’s all right, Lay hyung. I don’t need dinner.”

“Nonsense. You need to eat. You need to take care of your health.”

He puts a hand on Chanyeol waist, steering him along the path. Chanyeol steps out of Yixing’s reach. Yixing lets him, and his arm falls back to his side. Yixing brings Chanyeol to a hipster café. Chanyeol still has no appetite, so Yixing just buys him a bowl of soup. Even so, Chanyeol struggles to swallow each mouthful, and it breaks Yixing’s heart to see this.

The next day, Yixing finds himself wandering around the Arts block, hoping to run into Chanyeol. He doesn’t, but does spot Kyungsoo sitting on an empty chair in the corridor, playing on his handphone. Yixing approaches him.

“Hey.”

“Lay hyung.”

“Waiting for Jongdae?”

“Yes, his lecture should be about done soon.”

Kyungsoo tilts his head to indicate the closed lecture room door in front of them. Yixing sits down next to Kyungsoo. If Jongdae is in that lecture, then Chanyeol must be there too. Yixing knows for a fact that Chanyeol and Jongdae choose the exact same schedule every semester.

The lecture room door opens, and students start streaming out. Kyungsoo stands when he spots Jongdae. Yixing looks around. There’s no Chanyeol next to him. That’s odd.

“Babe!” Jongdae leans over to plant a peck on Kyungsoo’s cheek. “I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I can have lunch with you today.”

Kyungsoo’s brow furrows. He doesn’t say a word, but Yixing can tell he’s disappointed. He must have really been looking forward to having lunch with Jongdae. He may not be as tall as other alphas, but damn, he does look fierce when he wants to.

“I’m really sorry, babe, but Chanyeol is sick. I need to buy paracetamol and porridge for him.”

“Chanyeol is sick?” A swell of anxiety swirls within Yixing.

Jongdae nods. “He’s not attending any lessons today.” He turns to Kyungsoo. “Babe, please let me go to him. I don’t think he’s going to eat anything unless I force him.”

“I’ll do it,” Yixing says to Jongdae. “Go ahead and have lunch with Kyungsoo. He’s been waiting here for you.”

“But… …” Jongdae still looks hesitant.

“Porridge and paracetamol, right? I can do that. I’ll make sure he eats, I promise.”

Yixing’s promise mollifies Jongdae somewhat, at least enough for Kyungsoo to convince him that Chanyeol would be all right under Yixing’s care. Yixing drops by the campus drugstore to pick up paracetamol, then goes to the canteen to buy porridge before making his way to the beta dorm. Unlike the omega dorms, alphas are allowed to walk in freely into the beta dorm, so Yixing walks right in. After asking around, he finds out which room is Chanyeol’s easily enough. He knocks on the door.

A heartbeat later, it swings open. Yixing steps in.

“Jongdae,” Chanyeol says, already climbing back under the covers. “You really didn’t have to come. It’s just a headache. I already said I would be fine.”

Yixing carefully puts the porridge on the table. Chanyeol is a lump under the blanket. Yixing carefully sits at the edge of the bed.

“Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol’s head pops out from under the covers, like a rabbit popping its head out of its burrow. It would have been adorable, if not for the fact that Chanyeol’s eyes are teary and red. It’s obvious he has been crying all day. Yixing starts to understand that Chanyeol isn’t really sick. But at the same time, he’s not in a fit condition to attend lessons either.

“Lay hyung? Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t expecting you. I thought it was Jongdae… …”

“Jongdae wanted to come. But I reassured him that I would take good care of you.”

“Lay hyung, I’ll be fine after some rest. I’m sorry to have troubled you.”

Chanyeol starts to pull the blanket above his head again. Yixing gently but firmly tugs the blanket down to reveal Chanyeol’s face.

“You’re not a trouble at all,” Yixing tells him firmly.

He pulls Chanyeol up to a sitting position on the bed. Chanyeol is surprisingly pliant, allowing Yixing to arrange his body into a comfortable sitting position. But he does pull the blanket up to his chin, and Yixing allows it, helps even, to arrange the blanket around Chanyeol, so that Chanyeol is wrapped up like a burrito, with only his head sticking out. He’s adorable. Yixing can’t help but a run a hand through Chanyeol’s soft hair, smoothing his long fringe away from his eyes.

Yixing opens the steaming bowl of takeaway porridge. He carefully scoops up a spoonful, blowing on it to make sure it’s not too hot. He holds out the spoon to Chanyeol. Chanyeol shakes his head.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat,” Yixing tells him firmly. “You haven’t eaten anything all day, am I right?”

Chanyeol bites his lip and looks down, a clear sign of guilt.

Yixing softens his tone. “Chanyeollie, you need to eat something. Just one spoonful, all right?”

Yixing holds out the spoon to Chanyeol again, who hesitantly but obediently swallows the mouthful.

Yixing scoops up another spoon. Chanyeol shakes his head again. With just his head sticking out of the bundle of blankets, he looks unbelievably cute.

“Just one more spoonful, all right?” Yixing cajoles.

Chanyeol obediently accepts the spoonful. But once he’s done, Yixing always requests that Chanyeol eats “just one more spoonful” until eventually, Yixing has managed to feed Chanyeol the entire bowl of porridge. He then pops a paracetamol pill out of the plastic packaging, and passes on to Chanyeol to down with a glass of water.

“Well done, Chanyeollie,” Yixing praises. “Now, get up and take a shower, all right? You’ll feel better after showering.”

Unsurprising, Chanyeol shakes his head again.

“Don’t feel like it,” he mumbles, trying to burrow back into bed instead.

Yixing climbs up the bed, and crawls over Chanyeol. Chanyeol yelps, pulling his blanket up further to protect himself from the alpha that is suddenly way too close, but Yixing pulls the blanket down, so that Chanyeol’s face is revealed. Yixing’s lips hovers over Chanyeol’s. Just a few millimetres more, and they would kiss. Chanyeol’s eyes widen, his eyes darting here and there, as if looking for some form of escape, but there is none. Yixing’s arms are on either side of him, caging Chanyeol in.

“If you don’t get up and go to the washroom yourself, I will carry you there,” Yixing threatens. “The entire beta dorm on this floor will see Park Chanyeol being carried to bathroom by alpha Zhang Yixing. Imagine what they will say, huh? Just imagine the rumours that will go around campus. Do you want that?”

Chanyeol shakes his head vigorously.

“Then will you go and shower on your own?”

Chanyeol nods his head vigorously.

“Good.”

Yixing climbs off Chanyeol, and out of the corner of his eye, he can see Chanyeol starting to breathe again. It takes some time for Chanyeol to disentangle himself from his blanket pile, and in the meantime, Yixing opens Chanyeol’s closet. He selects a new change of clothes for Chanyeol, and passes him his towel which had been hanging on a rack in the corner.

While Chanyeol is away taking his shower, Yixing takes the opportunity to clean the room up a little. The room is in a horrendous mess. Yixing picks up the multitude of clothes that have been scattered all over the floor and puts them in the laundry hamper. Chanyeol’s belongings like his books, papers and stationery are also over the place, so Yixing picks them up and arranges them in neat stacks on Chanyeol’s study desk. Lastly, he makes Chanyeol’s bed.

As Yixing is folding Chanyeol’s blanket, something clutters out through the folds of the blanket, falling with a thump on the bed. Yixing picks it up. It’s Chanyeol’s handphone.

The handphone screen is open to Chanyeol’s photo feed, and the photo currently on display is a selca of Chanyeol with Sehun.

Yixing picks up the handphone. He can’t help but swipe through a few more photos. Every single photo is of Chanyeol and Sehun together.

Chanyeol and Sehun are both goofing around, making funny faces. They look happy. Carefree. Yixing supposes it’s not surprising that Chanyeol would goof off in front of the camera, but for Sehun to be doing that too? Yixing had always figured Sehun out to be cold and aloof. Three years with Chanyeol must have rubbed off on him.

Was this what Chanyeol had been doing all day? Huddling under his blanket, while scrolling through old photos of himself and Sehun?

Yixing’s heart stings.

Yixing puts down the handphone just in time before the door opens, and Chanyeol steps back into the room.

“Lay hyung, thank you,” Chanyeol says, looking around the room that Yixing has straightened up. “You’re right, I do feel better after a bath.”

Indeed, Chanyeol does look more refreshed and relaxed, and Yixing smiles at him.

“Come, let’s go out.”

“Huh? What? Where?”

“Anywhere. Let’s just get you some fresh air, all right?”

Yixing ends up taking Chanyeol bowling, which turns out to be a great idea. Yixing discovers that Chanyeol loves bowling. While attempting to do a spin, Chanyeol throws a couple of gutter balls. This gives Yixing an early lead, causing Chanyeol to pout. But towards the end, Yixing deliberately throws the game. On purpose, he throws in gutter ball after gutter ball, until the game ends with Chanyeol winning. Yixing is rewarded when Chanyeol cheers in victory after he has won. He’s so happy he even engulfs Yixing in a hug after his win is flashed on the screen. For a moment, just a moment, he seems to have forgotten about Sehun, and for that Yixing is glad.

Over the next few days, Yixing spends as much time as he can with Chanyeol. Every time Yixing asks Chanyeol out, Chanyeol usually says he’s tired or that he doesn’t feel like going out. Yixing knows that he just wants to hide in his room and mope about Sehun all day long. The good thing is that Jongdae seems to be on Yixing’s side. Jongdae and Yixing have an unspoken agreement that Chanyeol moping alone in his room is not a good idea, so they usually tag team to make sure there’s someone always with Chanyeol. If Yixing is at class, or meeting up with his course mates for projects, or hanging out with Lu Han and Yifan, Jongdae is always with Chanyeol. But if Jongdae is going out with Kyungsoo, he texts Yixing beforehand and then Yixing clears his schedule so that he can go over to Chanyeol’s room.

Yixing makes Chanyeol leave the room to go out. He brings Chanyeol cycling next to the Han river, to the movies, to cafes, to karaoke. Seoul is a crowded city, but Yixing thinks this is actual good for Chanyeol. Seoul is just buzzing with energy, and this is exactly what lethargic and despondent Chanyeol lacks right now. Usually, after walking around the streets of Myeongdong or Itaewon, Chanyeol does look better, even if all they’ve done is window shop.

But today, Chanyeol asks if they can stay in his room for the evening and not go anywhere.

“Lay hyung, I really have to stay in to do my assignment,” he pleads. “I’m not making excuses just because I don’t want to go out, I promise.”

His eyes are all big and sincere, and with those directed at him, what else is Yixing supposed to say?

“Sure,” Yixing smiles. “We’ll do that if that’s what you feel like doing, Chanyeollie.”

Though Chanyeol stays in a double room, he has no roommate, so it’s equivalent to having an extra-large single room. This is not uncommon in the beta dorm. Somehow, most of the population consists of either alphas and omegas. Since there are fewer betas around, the beta dorm is never full.

Chanyeol is lounging on his bed to study. Yixing supposes he could have sat on Chanyeol’s study desk, or the other desk belong to Chanyeol’s non-existent roommate, or even spread out comfortably on the other bed in the room, which Chanyeol has put a bedspread on as well, but Yixing chooses to sit right next to Chanyeol on his bed. Chanyeol allows this, scooting over to make some space for Yixing.

Chanyeol is deeply focused on his assignment. He has his music theory textbooks spread out around him, and he constantly refers to them. When he stops to think, he chews the top of his pencil. It’s adorable.

On the other hand, Yixing is supposed to be balancing a spreadsheet that his professor had assigned for his tutorial, but Yixing can’t focus at all. All he can think of is Chanyeol.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yixing can’t help but notice everything about Chanyeol. Like his hair, which Yixing would love to run his hand through.

And his scent, which is delicious as always. It makes Yixing want to ravish the unsuspecting beta.

Chanyeol scribbles a note at the side of the page of his textbook, and Yixing can’t help but notice his arms. When Yixing first knew Chanyeol, he had been slim-built. But now, three years on, it’s obvious that Chanyeol has been hitting the gym. His biceps are muscular now, the same as Yixing’s.

His legs are long. Chanyeol is wearing shorts, so Yixing is treated to a long expanse of bare skin. Chanyeol adjusts his position, so that he is lying on his stomach on the bed. He squirms around on the bed as he gets comfortable. The movement causes his loose tank top to ride up his waist, and Yixing gets an eyeful of his bare lower back, the delicious dip and curve of golden-tanned skin, before Chanyeol’s shorts interrupts Yixing’s view, protecting the beta’s modesty from the alpha’s hungry eyes.

Shit. By this time, Yixing is raging hard. He quickly places Chanyeol’s pillow in his lap so as to hide it.

“Lay hyung?”

Yixing looks up to see Chanyeol peering up at him.

Damn, his face is so close. If Yixing just reached out, he could touch it. Run his fingers over the skin. Cup his cheek. Pull him closer. Kiss him.

“Lay hyung, are you okay? You look kind of flushed.”

Chanyeol puts a hand on Yixing’s forehead. The instant his hand comes into contact with Yixing’s skin, Yixing’s heart-rate jumps through the roof. It takes all of Yixing’s self-control not to flip Chanyeol over and have his way with him.

“Lay hyung, you’re burning!”

This is when it hits Yixing.

It took Yixing so long to realise, because it’s hardly ever happened to him. Only once or twice in his life before.

But it’s definitely happening to him right now.

He’s going into rut.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

It must have been triggered by the close proximity to Chanyeol. From the first time he had ever set eyes on the beta, Yixing had been insanely attracted to him. And now, he’s been allowed to be around Chanyeol so much, and his body can’t handle all the stimulation.

“Chanyeol.” Yixing struggles to keep his voice steady, to keep his face calm. “I’m not feeling well. I’ve got to go.”

“You can stay here and rest. You don’t look like you can walk. I have an extra bed, you can crash on it for a while. I have some fever medication around somewhere. Let me look for it.”

Chanyeol rummages through his drawers trying to find the medication, and Yixing quickly takes advantage of this to stand up without Chanyeol noticing his erection. Luckily his t-shirt is pretty baggy today.

“Ah, here it is!” Chanyeol waves the packet of paracetamol in the air triumphantly. It’s the same one that Yixing had gotten for Chanyeol previously. “Let me get you some water… …”

Chanyeol looks around the room, trying to locate his water bottle amongst his sea of belongings. Yixing catches him by the elbow, stopping him.

“Chanyeol. I’m fine. I’ve got to go.”

“But you don’t look fine at all! I can walk you back your dorm. Hang on, let me find my jacket.”

Chanyeol pushes past Yixing, trying to get to his jacket that’s lying on the chair behind Yixing, and Yixing can’t help it. His body moves on its own accord as he grabs Chanyeol by the elbow, spins him around, and presses him against the wall. Both of Yixing’s palms press against the wall on either side of Chanyeol, caging him in. Chanyeol stares at him, wide-eyed. Yixing leans in, nosing over the scent gland at the base of Chanyeol’s neck. Chanyeol smells so good.

But no. Yixing can’t. It won’t be right.

Yixing lets go of Chanyeol and takes a step back. It takes all of his willpower, and Yixing is proud of himself.

“Chanyeol. I need to go. I will call you later.”

Yixing steps toward the door.

But Chanyeol stops him.

“Wait, Lay hyung. I can’t just let you leave with you’re not feeling well. When I was feeling down, you took such good care of me. Now that you’re the one who needs help, I should help you.”

Chanyeol yelps when Yixing suddenly pushes him down onto the bed. Yixing climbs over him. His face hovers above Chanyeol’s.

“I am going into rut,” Yixing tells Chanyeol honestly. “Are you sure you want to help me?”

Chanyeol’s eyes widen. Understanding dawns on his face. He’s so bloody cute he’s going to be the death of Yixing.

Yixing climbs off him. He needs to leave the room now, put some distance between himself and Chanyeol.

But to his utter shock, Chanyeol stops him.

“Lay hyung. St-stay. I’ll… … I’ll help you.”

Yixing is on top of him in an instant. Chanyeol squeaks when he is pushed back onto the bed.

“Are you sure?”

“Y-yes. You’ve help me so much, so it’s only r-right that I help you now.”

Yixing’s lips crash down on Chanyeol’s, and it is sheer bliss to be able to touch Chanyeol like this. It feels close. Intimate. And that’s how he wants him and Chanyeol to be.

“Chanyeol. Chanyeol. Chanyeol.” Yixing repeats his name like a mantra as he plants a kiss on a different part of Chanyeol’s face. His forehead, the tip of his nose, his cheek, his eyebrow. Every part of Chanyeol’s face is just beautiful and perfect, and every kiss feels like a taste of heaven.

Yixing’s mouth finds its way back to Chanyeol’s lips, and they kiss for a long time.

Yixing moves to peel off Chanyeol’s top, and Chanyeol’s bare chest and stomach are exposed to him. Chanyeol’s body is gorgeous. Yixing runs his hands everywhere. His chest muscles are defined and a six-pac adorns his flat stomach. But despite how well-built his body is, he looks small now. Pinned under Yixing, he looks nothing but pliant and vulnerable, and Yixing is ready devour him.

Yixing strips him of his shorts and his underwear, and his entire body is exposed to Yixing. Yixing spreads his legs open, lifting them up and folding them at the knees, and Yixing gets to see Chanyeol’s hole for the first time. A strong wave of want hits Yixing. He has never wanted anyone so badly before.

For the past three years, omegas have been approaching Yixing non-stop, requesting help for their heats. Aware of his duty as an alpha, Yixing does his best to oblige any omega who asks. Unlike Yifan or Lu Han who have really high standards, Yixing doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter if the omega is male or female, good looking or ugly, tall or short, slim or fat. Over the years, Yixing has earned the reputation of being the gentleman alpha of the campus, because he never rejects an omega in need. He is known for taking good care of omegas throughout their heat. But Yixing does have a policy of not sleeping with the same omega twice. Yixing knows that many omegas actually want to pursue a romantic relationship with him, and he does not want to give any one of them false hope. 

The fact is Yixing has slept around a lot, and because of this, he has honed an impressive set of skills in bed. He knows how to explore his partner’s body to tease out all the erogenous zones that would get his partner all hot and bothered, make the experience good for his partner. To Yixing, sex has become such a finely-honed art, the execution of it is almost clinical.

But with Chanyeol, sheer want overtakes him and controls Yixing as he explores every inch of Chanyeol’s body with his hands and his mouth. No one can set him on fire the way Chanyeol is doing now.

Yixing strokes Chanyeol’s cock into hardness. It’s beautiful. Cute, just like the rest of Chanyeol. Yixing lines their cock together, and Yixing loves the way his own cock overshadows Chanyeol’s in size. Yixing’s knot has formed, whereas Chanyeol’s has no knot at all. Yixing grinds his cock into Chanyeol’s, making sure his big girth overwhelms Chanyeol’s member as it gets pressed into Chanyeol’s stomach, sandwiched as it gets rolled around helplessly in between.

Yixing also keeps Chanyeol’s legs spread wide, forcing his pucker to be put on full display. Yixing can’t wait to sink into the tight hotness, but he knows that he can’t do that. If Chanyeol were an omega, he would be leaking right now. But Chanyeol is a beta, and his hole is conspicuously dry. Just pushing it in will hurt Chanyeol, and that’s something Yixing will not do.

“Do you have lube, Chanyeollie?”

“In the drawer… …”

Keeping himself pinned on top of the beta, Yixing reaches over Chanyeol to hunt for it. For some reason, Yixing is unwilling to let Chanyeol up, as if giving Chanyeol the freedom to get up might cause him to change his mind. He gropes around the open drawer until his fingers close around the tube. He dribbles a liberal amount on his fingers. Slowly, reverently, Yixing pushes one finger in. It’s tight. Chanyeol gasps and squirms, but Yixing comforts him by kissing him and holding him steady. Yixing adds in one finger at time, forcing himself to be slow, to be gentle.

“I’m sorry it has to be so slow,” Chanyeol says, looking embarrassed. “If I were an omega, it wouldn’t have to take so long … …”

Yixing can’t believe what he’s hearing.

“Oh, Chanyeollie. You have no idea how much I want this. How much I want you. I’ve always wanted to do this to you.”

“Me?” Chanyeol squeaks.

“Yes, you.” Yixing leans down to kiss Chanyeol lovingly. “I’ve always wanted you.”

“But… … but… … you can have any omega you want. Why would you want me?”

“I want you, Chanyeollie. For me, it has only ever been you. Only you.”

With that, Yixing pushes in. He forces himself to go slow. Chanyeol gasps and clings onto Yixing, his face contorting with the burn, and Yixing loves it, the way Chanyeol holds onto him like Yixing were his lifeline.

Yixing sinks in fully, and then, Yixing can’t hold back anymore. He plunders Chanyeol, letting the needs of his rut take over. Chanyeol is so pliant, so obedient. He clings onto Yixing’s shoulder as he passively allows Yixing to do what he likes with him.

Chanyeol comes first, and Yixing fucks him through his orgasm, his knot hammering mercilessly onto Chanyeol’s prostrate, not letting up the pace at all. Chanyeol’s body gets bounced like a rag doll with every thrust, and every slam makes Chanyeol gasp, and Yixing loves it, the sounds that Chanyeol involuntarily makes in tandem with his thrusts.

When Yixing climaxes into Chanyeol at last, Yixing can’t help but feel that this is the way things should be. This was where Chanyeol belonged‒ pinned under him, his hole stuffed to the brim with Yixing’s cock, his hole filled with Yixing’s seed.

Yixing slumps over Chanyeol, and Chanyeol hugs him close. Even through the haze of the rut, Yixing realises that this is one of the few times, if not the very first, that Chanyeol is initiating contact with Yixing, and Yixing sinks in contentedly into the touch.

“Chanyeollie, was it good for you?”

Yixing cannot help but ask. A swell of anxiety runs through him. Yixing had been too eager, too rushed, allowed his rut to control everything. But he needn’t have worried though. Chanyeol nods, a blush colouring his cheeks. Gosh, he’s so cute. Yixing finds himself hardening inside Chanyeol again. Good thing he hasn’t pulled out yet.

“How about you? Was it… … was it good for you?” Chanyeol asks, all shy and hesitant.

“Of course. It was so, so good. You’re perfect, baby.”

And Yixing proceeds to show him exactly how good Chanyeol is throughout the night. Yixing loses count of the number of times he orgasms into Chanyeol, the number of times he makes Chanyeol come. There are times during the night when Chanyeol passes out from sheer exhaustion in the middle of sex, but Yixing’s rut means that he just continues plundering Chanyeol anyway, causing Chanyeol to wake up with a cry after Yixing slams onto his prostrate yet again.

The next morning, Yixing wakes up utterly exhausted. He is lying on top of Chanyeol’s chest, his cock still embedded in Chanyeol’s hole.

“Lay hyung.”

Yixing smiles down at Chanyeol and kisses him lovingly.

“Lay hyung, are you feeling okay right now?”

“Yes. Thank you, baby. My rut is over.” Yixing smooths Chanyeol’s hair. “Chanyeollie, everything I said last night… …”

“It was your rut talking, I know.” Chanyeol bites his lip, looking away. “Don’t worry, I won’t take anything you said seriously… …”

Frowning, Yixing turns Chanyeol’s face to him, making Chanyeol look him in the eye.

“I meant every single word, Chanyeol. I swear.”

“But I’m only a beta.”

“That doesn’t matter. Whether you’re beta or an omega, you’re the only one for me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I like you. I always have. Since the first time I met you.”

“I… … I… … Actually, I’ve always liked you too.”

Yixing’s heart swells. Hope floods Yixing like a tidal wave, and the feeling is overwhelming.

“I’ve always liked you too, but I thought that you would never like me back. I always thought that you would only like omegas.”

“No.” Yixing is scandalised. “I would never choose anyone but you.”

Yixing’s heart is so full, he thinks it might burst. But at the same time, it aches. It aches of what could have been, the three years they could have had together.

They’ve lost three years, but Yixing is determined that this is going to change. Yixing is not going to let either of them waste any more time.

“Chanyeol,” Yixing looks into Chanyeol’s eyes, serious and sincere. “Will you be mine?”

Chanyeol lowers his eyes. He looks shy. But at the same time, he looks happy.

“Yes.”

A single word, but it makes Yixing feel like he is on top of the world.

“Chanyeollie, I will always treat you well. I promise.”

Chanyeol smiles back up at Yixing, and the whole world never felt so right, as if the stars and the moon aligned into their rightful places in the universe.

At long last, Chanyeol is his. As it should be.


End file.
